UNC wrestling finishes 24th in NCAAs

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Despite poor seeding, North Carolina wrestler Ethan Ramos became just the fifth freshman in UNC history to earn All-American status. But Ramos is far from satisfied with his sixth-place finish in the 165-pound division at the NCAA Wrestling Championships.

Ramos, despite being a No. 15 seed, fought through the bracket and upset Northwestern’s Pierce Harger in the quarterfinals to clinch All-American status.

“Ethan absolutely came out here to win this tournament,” Coach C.D. Mock said. “And you couldn’t tell him differently if you tried.”

Ramos would fall short against Indiana wrestler Taylor Walsh, whose reversal in the second period gave him the ultimate edge in the 5-0 decision. But Ramos’ tournament run would help the Tar Heels tie for 24th nationally with Indiana. It’s UNC’s third-straight top-25 finish at NCAAs.

Of the five UNC wrestlers who qualified, Ramos was the only one to finish on the podium, but the wrestlers and coaches are not lingering on the tournament defeats.

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“The only thing I can say is I hope people are watching out for us,” said redshirt sophomore Joey Ward, “because I know I’m bringing the heat (next season).”

The tournament provided experience and a taste of success for the UNC wrestlers, some of whom had never been. Most wrestling events do not see more than 100,000 fans in the stands, but the crowds have been that large in St. Louis for the past couple of championships.

“Wrestling doesn’t get a whole lot of attention or a whole lot of credibility,” Mock said. “This is one of the only events each year where we feel like our sport matters.”

The Tar Heels will take this experience, along with a belly full of fire, back to the wrestling room as they prepare for next season.

For Mock, tournament experience will be invaluable as his team continues to develop and improve.

“Coaches can only do so much, and we have coaches with national titles,” Mock said. “But when one of your teammates comes out here and gets it done, guys start thinking, ‘If he can do it, I can do it.’”

All five UNC wrestlers who qualified for the NCAA Tournament will be returning next year, along with a highly anticipated freshman class.

Many of the wrestlers will now look to the NCAA qualifiers as examples.

“If I could give my teammates advice, I would just tell them wrestle without worrying about the outcome,” Ramos said. “I think that’s what helped me get as far as I did.”